Tasting notes

It is clear after making this wine why the Southern Rhone and Chateauneuf du Pape region goes crazy for blends of these varieties. The plump, juicy sweetness of the Grenache gives a lovely core that matches perfectly with the rustic tannins and earthiness of Mourvedre. Add a dash of spicy cool climate Shiraz to the blend and the wine provides no end of intrigue. Our winemaking was oriented to focus on achieving complexity by concentrating on highlighting the savoury aspect of the wine. The aim of Uvaggio is to encapsulate a true regional blend, to express the uniqueness of dry grown Western Australian bush vines. Enjoy it’s richness of fruit character in its youth or wait for several years to see the savoury core come to the fore.

Season notes

With a relatively mild winter and above average spring rainfall the vines entered the season with good soil moisture resulting in strong growth and good fruit set. This above average fruit set combined with strong canopies allowed steady ripening across all varieties enabling harvest to commence in late February and finishing mid April. The cool evenings and lack of extreme heat saw excellent flavour development. This was yet another cracking vintage in the southern regions of Western Australia making it eight years in a row.

Winemaking

Bush vine Grenache and Mourvedre were harvested by hand at optimum ripeness; the Shiraz was machine harvested at night to preserve the spiciness of the variety. All parcels were vinified in small open ferments with the Grenache and Shiraz having ~20% whole bunch inclusion for aromatic lift. The ferments were hand plunged twice daily and pressed off quickly after ferment. Aged in large format oak for 18 months.

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